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Microsoft's Virtual Earth To Rival Google

by Carlo Orlando on November, 22 2006 at 08:11AM EST

Microsoft Corporation recently launched a revolutionary software program that will take end-users on a three-dimensional journey through fifteen American cities. The company has made substantial upgrades to their online mapping service and has developed a 3D program called "Virtual Earth." (Source: technology.canoe.ca)

The initial set of virtual cities include San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, Boston, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Detroit, Phoenix, Houston, Baltimore, Atlanta, Denver, Dallas and Fort Worth, with even more cities expected in the future.

While the program is still far from completion, Microsoft continues to believe that they will soon be able to compete with the immensely popular Google Earth program.

The reason for Microsoft's confidence stems from the new "photorealism" aspect of Virtual Earth, which offers the user a more complete tour-like experience, while Google Earth is limited to aerial views of particular destinations.

Also, Virtual Earth is designed to function within a Web browser without having to open a separate application. Google Earth provides no such feature. (Source: sfgate.com)

This battle for programming supremacy stretches far beyond the realm of spirited competition. Microsoft plans to celebrate their upgrade with an evening party based in San Francisco, conveniently 35 miles north of Google headquarters. (Source: technology.canoe.ca)

Google has had little regard for the recent competitive threats made by Microsoft. Evidently so; for the past two years, it is a widely held opinion that Microsoft is vastly inferior to Google in the field of Internet search.

The financial success of Google continues to amaze investors, and the company has little concern that the new Virtual Earth program will interfere with their successes in the future. (Source: sfgate.com)